HRD Needs Assessment

1. HRD Needs Assessment Chapter 4 HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty

2. Why Do Needs Assessment? Question: Why is needs assessment information critical to the development and delivery of an effective HRD program? HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty

3. Needs Assessment • Figuring out what is really needed. • Not always an easy task. • Needs lots of input. • Takes a lot of work. • “Do it now or do lots more later.” • First step in both the ISD and HRD Process Models. HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty

4. Instructional System Design (ISD) Model Analyze Design Develop Produce Pilot Evaluate Deliver Improve HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty

5. HRD Process Model Assess Design Implement Evaluate ISD Model Analyze need Design training Develop Produce pilot Evaluate pilot Deliver training Improve Comparing the HRD Process Model to the ISD Model HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty

6. What is a “Need?” • A discrepancy between expectations and performance. • Not only “performance” needs involved. HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty

7. Various Types of Needs • Performance • Democratic • Need for employee involvement in selection of options. • Analytic • Identify new or better ways to do things. • Compliance • Mandated by law or regulation. HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty

8. Traps in Needs Assessment - 1 • Focusing only on individual performance deficiencies. • Doesn’t fix group of systemic problems. • Starting with a “Training Needs Assessment” • If you know training is needed, why waste everyone’s time? HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty

9. Traps in Needs Assessment - 2 • Using Questionnaires • Hard to control input, often high developmental costs, hard to write properly. • Using soft data (opinions) only • Need performance and consequence data. • Using hard data only • Easily measured data is provided, but critical, hard-to-measure data is missing. HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty

10. Levels of Assessment • Organization • Where is training needed and under what conditions? • Task • What must be done to perform the job effectively? • Person • Who should be trained and how? HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty

11. Strategic/Organizational Analysis • A broad, “systems” view is needed. • Need to identify: • Organizational goals • Organizational resources • Organizational climate • Environmental constraints HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty

12. Why Strategic Assessment is Needed • Ties HRD programs to corporate or organizational goals. • Strengthens the link between profit and HRD actions. • Strengthens corporate support for HRD. • Makes HRD more of a revenue generator. • Not a profit waster. HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty

13. Sources of Strategic Information • Mission statement • HRM inventory • Skills inventory • Quality of Life indicators • Efficiency indexes • System changes • Exit interviews HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty

14. Task Analysis • The collection of data about a specific job or group of jobs. • What employee needs to know to perform a job or jobs. HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty

15. How to Collect Information For a Task Analysis • Job descriptions • Task analysis • Performance standards • Perform job • Observe job • Ask questions • Analysis of problems HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty

16. A Sample Task Analysis Process • Develop job description • Identify job tasks • What should be done • What is actually done • Describe KSAOs needed • Identify potential training areas • Prioritize potential training areas HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty

17. A Task Analysis Application Question: You have been asked to perform a task analysis for the job of dispatcher in a city police department. Which method(s) of task analysis do you think are most appropriate for analyzing this job? HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty

18. Person Analysis • Determines training needs for specific individuals. • Based on many sources of data. • Summary Analysis • Determine overall success of the individual. • Diagnostic Analysis • Discover reasons for performance. HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty

19. Performance Appraisal • Relied on heavily in person analysis. • Hard to do. • Vital to company and individual. • Should be VERY confidential. • Based too often on personal opinion. HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty

20. Performance Appraisal Process • Determine basis for appraisal. • Job description, MBO Objectives, job standards, etc. • Conduct the appraisal. • Determine discrepancies between the standard and performance. • Identify source(s) of discrepancies. • Select ways to resolve discrepancies. HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty

21. Prioritizing HRD Needs • There are never enough resources available. • Must prioritize efforts. • Need full organizational involvement in this process. • Involve an HRD Advisory Committee. HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty

22. Warning!! • HRD cannot become a slow-acting bureaucracy!! • “The Attack on ISD” article • HRD must respond to corporate needs. • HRD should be focused on “performance improvement,” and not just “training.” HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty

23. Summary • Why is needs assessment so often not performed in many organizations? • Why should organizations care about needs assessment? HRD3e CH4 Contributed by Wells Doty